In Love With a Slytherin
by yourstarAAR
Summary: Ember Sparks comes from a family where Gryffindors are doomed to fall in love with Slytherins, which wouldn't be a huge problem, except that the Slytherin she falls in love with is her three best friends' worst enemy, aside from Voldemort of course.
1. Hogwarts Acceptance

_As an opener, I would like to say thanks for taking the time to click on my story, I appreciate it. :D I also hope that this isn't Mary Sue. I don't think it is, but I also haven't read every Draco/OC story ever written. :/ If it seems Mary Sue-ish, I'm sorry. Please comment with anything you think could make the story better or even if you have an idea for a later chapter. I'll stop rambling now, so, without further ado; here is the first chapter of __**In Love With a Slytherin**__:_

"Oh my!" I heard my Gran mumble from downstairs.

"Ember! Come down here! You've got a letter!" Looking up from skimming through my book (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), I sighed, then marked my place and got up. I jogged down the steps and into the living room, where Gran handed me a mildly thick envelope made of rough parchment. Gran looked positively thrilled. I flipped it over to look at the forwarding address, but all it said was:

Ember Sparks

1419 Sycamore Lane

Surrey, England

This was written in very loopy handwriting. I flipped the envelope again and noticed the seal for the first time. It was the Hogwarts emblem. I let out a breath then looked excitedly at Gran. She nodded encouragingly. I looked back at the envelope, then carefully tore it open. There were two pieces of parchment inside, and I pulled them out.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore  
(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand Sorc., Chf. Warlock,  
Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)

Dear Miss Sparks,

We are pleased to inform you that you have been accepted at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and equipment.  
Term begins on September 1. We await your owl by no later than July 31.

Yours sincerely,

Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress

I handed it to Gran with a huge grin on my face, and read the other page.

HOGWARTS SCHOOL  
of WITCHCRAFT and WIZARDRY

UNIFORM  
First-year students will require:  
sets of plain work robes (black)  
plain pointed hat (black) for day wear  
pair of protective gloves (dragon hide or similar)  
winter cloak (black, with silver fastenings)  
Please note that all pupil's clothes should carry name tags.

COURSE BOOKS  
All students should have a copy of each of the following:

The Standard Book of Spells (Grade 1)  
by Miranda Goshawk

A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot

Magical Theory by Adalbert Waffling

A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration by Emeric Switch

One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi  
by Phyllida Spore

Magical Drafts and Potions by Arsenius Jigger

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them  
by Newt Scamander

The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection  
by Quentin Trimble

OTHER EQUIPMENT

1 wand  
1 cauldron (pewter, standard size 2)  
1 set glass or crystal phials  
1 telescope  
1 set brass scales

Students may also bring and owl OR a cat OR a toad.

PARENTS ARE REMINDED THAT FIRST YEARS ARE NOT ALLOWED THEIR OWN BROOMSTICKS

I handed her that page as well, and she read it quickly.

"Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them? You can probably recite that book forwards and backwards. All of these other books should be easy enough to find. Looks like we'll need to make a trip to Diagon Alley tomorrow!" Just then, Grandpa walked in from the garage.

"Oh, Daniel, you're going to be so happy! Although why they wouldn't have accepted her I could never guess… Look!" She shoved the papers into his hands. He adjusted his glasses, then leaned back to read the papers. After a moment, he looked at me and smiled.

"Of course, I knew you'd get in. How could you not, considering your bloodline?"

"Which house do you think I'll be put in?" I asked. I knew it would either be Slytherin or Gryffindor, but I wasn't sure which.

I know, I know. Slytherin and Gryffindor are on complete opposite sides of the scale, but that's my family. Nearly everybody in my family was either Slytherin or Gryffindor. I guess you could call it sort of a curse, but I'm not sure. Everybody except for my great aunt Edna and her husband Fred, who were both from Gryffindor, were Slytherin/Gryffindor couples. I don't know why, but it always seemed to happen. My dad had been a Gryffindor, and my mom a Slytherin, and of Dad's parents, who I had been living with since Mom and Dad's death, Grandma had been a Gryffindor, and Grandpa a Slytherin.

Grandpa looked at Gran, who then looked at me.

"I don't know, sweetheart…. Either way, you'll be a great wizard, I'm positive." She said. I smiled, then took the list out of Grandpa's hand. That night, I read it over and over again at least 50 times, maybe more.

~The Next Day~

"Ember, get up and get dressed, so we can go get your school supplies."

"Huh? What?" I muttered groggily.

"You heard me." Gran said then walked off. I rolled over and looked at the ceiling. Then it hit me that we were going to Diagon Alley today. I jumped out of bed and slammed open my dresser drawers. After I changed, I ran into the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair, and then rushed downstairs. Gran was sitting on the couch, holding our vase of Floo Powder.

"Oh, Ember, your Grandfather already apparated to Diagon Alley, said he's going to stop by Gringotts, then meet us at Ollivander's." Nodding, I grabbed a handful of Floo Powder from the vase. I stepped in the fireplace.

"Diagon Alley!" I said, then threw the powder down. A burst of flame engulfed me, and I waited for my stop to arrive. When I had reached my destination, I shook my head to calm the dizziness. A moment later, Gran stepped out of the grate.

"Alright, now, we'll have to go straight to Ollivander's to meet Daniel, since he's got all the money we'll need."

"Alright, that's this way, isn't it?" I heard her say yes as I turned left and started walking quickly towards the shops.

"Slow down, Ember, I'm old, remember?" Gran said from behind me. I answered as I turned a corner.

"Sorry, Gran, I'm just-" I stopped when I ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry!"

"Watch where you're going!" I looked up and saw a bleach-blonde headed boy with an upturned lip looking at me.

"I really am sorry, I wasn't paying any attention!"

"I could tell that. Now you've gone and gotten my new robes all dirty!" Just then, an older man walked up. He looked remarkably like the boy.

"Be nice, Draco. She apologized." Just then, Gran walked up from behind me. She stopped cold when she saw the man. Her face showed disgust. He looked equally repulsed. He put a hand on the boy, whose name was apparently Draco, and steered him around us and out of the alley without another word. The boy looked just as confused as I felt. Gran pushed me forward and muttered, "Ollivander's…" I walked slower than before, trying to figure out what had just happened. After a silent moment, I turned to Gran.

"Who was that in the alleyway? Why'd you look so mad?" She sighed.

"I suppose I knew that this would happen, since I knew their son would be accepted to Hogwarts the same year as you… That man's name was Lucious Malfoy. His son's name is Draco. Lucious was a colleague of your Grandfather's a long time ago, and they lived nearby, so they would come over with their son, and your parent's would drop you off so you two could play together. In fact, from the time you were a baby to the time you moved in with us, you two played together at least once a week."

"Why did that stop?"

"Well…you know, when You-Know-Who killed your parents-" She paused to take a deep breath. I looked away for a moment, then back at her.

"When he lost his power, many of his followers came back to our side, claiming they were brainwashed, and didn't mean any of it. The Malfoys were some of the first to come back. Of course, we hadn't known that they followed him, but all that brainwashing nonsense is a load of bull if you ask me. After what happened to your parents, we couldn't bear to hang around with them, seeing as how Lucious may very well have contributed to their deaths. But that's all done now, and we have arrived at Ollivander's."

"But Gran, why did he-"

"Stop asking questions, now, Ember. I mean it." She gave me a stern look, and I pushed all questions to the back of my mind. We walked silently into Ollivander's, where we were greeted by a happy man with crazy, gray hair.

"Hello there!" He turned to Gran.

"Ah, yes, I remember you. Jennifer Grile, or at least that's what it was then!"

"How can you remember? It was so long ago! And it's been Sparks for quite a while now. Ember, I'll be outside, waiting for Daniel." She said, laughing. Mr. Ollivander turned to me again.

"You must be young Miss Ember Sparks, then. I was very sorry to hear about your parents. I remember the wands I sold them, as well. Your father: Ten inches, Yew, with a Dragon Heartstring core. Your mother: Nine inches, Elm, with a Unicorn Hair core. But that's not what we're here for, is it?" He walked back to grab a box, then walked back to hand me the wand from inside.

"Just flick it a bit." I did so, and he took it almost immediately. He grabbed another, and handed it to me. I flicked the wand, and a group of boxes fell off of the shelf. I gave him a sheepish look, and he muttered, "No, no, no…," before taking the wand back.

He walked along the piles of boxes, repeatedly grabbing them and putting them back, muttering to himself.

"No…no… Oh, heavens no! Aha…" He looked at me for a moment, then back at the box in question. Cautiously, he took it in his hand, then walked back to the front desk. He carefully took out the wand and placed it in my hand. I flicked. A bout of green and blue sparks shot out of the end, and he looked at me.

"That, Miss Sparks, is a wand, made of Oak, Nine and Three Fourths inches, with one of the only four Phoenix Feathers ever donated to make the core of a wand." My eyes widened.

"And it just so happens, that the wand has chosen you as its owner."

"Mr. Ollivander, you said there were only four Phoenix Feathers ever used as wand cores… Who do the other three belong to?"

"Well, one belongs to me, and one does not yet have an owner…"

"And the third?" I prompted him.

"The third… belonged to He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." I gasped.

"But…why do you suppose this wand chose me?"

"I do not know, but wands with a Phoenix Feather core are very picky about their owners, and therefore, I expect you to do wonderful things, Miss Sparks." Just then, another girl, about my age, walked into the shop. He gave me one last look, then turned to her.

"Thanks, Mr. Ollivander." I muttered as I walked out of the door.

Why this wand picked me, I had no idea, but if what Mr. Ollivander had said was true, and one of the only other Phoenix Feather cored wands belonged to You-Know-Who, then my own must be a very special wand indeed.


	2. Finishing Shopping

_This chapter is just a tad boring. :/ But I had to have them finish their shopping! And I've also introduced some more familiar characters! I hope you like it! xoxo_

"I won't let you hurt her!" Collin Sparks yelled, knowing he couldn't defeat the Dark Lord, but willing to give his life for the chance that his daughter and wife would live. Voldemort laughed, and spoke the curse that would end Collin's life.

"Avada Kedavra!" Collin flew into the wall behind him, but only his body slumped to the ground. Voldemort stepped over the body and stalked down the hallway towards the master bedroom. With a flick of his wand, the door flew open and a woman screamed. His mouth upturned into an evil smirk, he walked through the doorway and turned to the closet. He pointed his wand at the doorknob, and jerked hard to the right. The door was ripped off its hinges and flung through the window. The woman hidden inside was huddled in the farthest corner, tears streaming down her face. Voldemort watched her for a minute, enjoying her fear.

"Get up." He demanded. She sat still.

"Get. Up." He repeated. She slowly stood, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

"Come here." He said. She looked at him, then stepped forward so she was standing in front of him. He cocked his head to the right, then roughly grabbed her face in his hand.

"P-Please…" She whimpered. He curled his lip upward.

"Pathetic." This was the last word Arianna Sparks ever heard.

-0000000000000000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000 00000000000000000000000000-

"Alright, now we've got all your school books, so next, we should pick up your cauldron, phials, and all of those things." Gran said as we walked out of Flourish and Blotts. "We should stop by Potage's Cauldron Shop."

I walked between my Grandparents down the road. There were a few younger wizards walking with parents, some carrying robes, others books, and even more carrying cages that held their pets. I was hoping to see that Draco boy again, but I didn't even see anybody who looked remotely like him or his father. This was probably for the best. We reached the Cauldron Shop quicker than I expected. We walked through the doors and I found that the sign outside (Cauldrons: All Sizes, Copper, Brass, Pewter, Silver, Self-Stirring, Collapsible) wasn't exaggerating in the slightest. On one side, there were piles of the largest cauldrons I'd ever seen stacked on top of each other, each pile containing cauldrons of each metal. On the other side were cauldrons the size of my hand stacked the same way. Unfortunately, I didn't get to choose which one I wanted, since the list was very specific. (Pewter, standard size 2) We quickly found a cauldron with this description, paid for it, and left the store. Since Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions was right next door, we stopped by there next. When we walked in the shop, we were greeted by a small, cheerful old lady who asked if we were here for Hogwarts robes. Gran nodded, and the lady grabbed my hand and pulled me over to a platform in the middle of the shop. My grandparents sat down in chairs beside the door.

"Alright… now I'd say you're probably going to be… hmm… no… ah!" She muttered as she watched her self-measuring tape measure work. She grabbed the tape measure, rolled it up, put it in her pocket, and walked behind the counter into a door leading to the back She came back a moment later with three sets of robes, all black. Handing one to me, she led me back to the platform, and instructed me to try one on over my clothes. I pulled it on, and she pulled out the tape again. As it measured, she took out her wand and made a few adjustments; Tightening it here, loosening it there. After she was done, I took it off and she made the same alterations to the others. While she was doing this, a young boy, about my age, walked into the shop. He was with two people who I presumed to be his parents. When he saw me, he smiled.

"Hello, I'm Seamus Finnigan."

"Hi. Ember Sparks."

"You here for Hogwarts, I presume?"

"Yeah. She's just finishing my robes."

"What house do you suppose you'll be in? I know I'm going to be in Gryffindor. All of my mom's side have been in Gryffindor. I personally think they're the best house."

"I don't know for sure. I hope I'm in Gryffindor though." He looked around the shop.

"Where're your parents? They can't be them, they look too old." He gestured to my grandparents. Younger people tend to be completely honest and have no boundaries. I looked at him.

"They're dead." He was silent.

"Oh… I'm sorry… I didn't mean to-"

"Not a big deal. You couldn't have known."

"Yeah…" He said awkwardly. Just then, Madam Malkin walked out with my robes in a bag.

"Alright, here you are!" She said brightly. I turned to Grandpa.

"She's done, Grandpa." He stood up and handed Madam Malkin a handful of Galleons. She nodded her thanks, then turned to Seamus Finnigan. I heard her telling him to step onto the platform as we walked out of the store.

"That boys parents were quite nice." Gran said. "I saw you talking to him. Was he nice?"

"Yeah." I said simply.

"Something wrong?" Grandpa asked. I shook my head. He glanced at Gran, then looked back ahead. We proceeded to purchase the rest of my uniform, a telescope, phials, and a scale, and were just leaving Scribbulus Everchanging Inks when I met two boys, a little older than me, both with fiery orange hair, and looking exactly alike.

"Oh, hello!" One of them said. They had been looking in Gambol and Japes, a joke shop.

"Hello." I said. Gran and Grandpa were occupied with looking in the windows of a junk store. They were prone to be distracted by these sorts of things. The two boys looked at my cauldron, which was holding nearly everything we had purchased so far.

"First Year, right?" The other said.

"Yeah. Do you two go to Hogwarts?"

"Yeah, we're Third Years. I'm Fred, by the way."

"George. Nice to meet you!"

"Ember… Nice to meet you too."

"Little bit shy, isn't she?" Fred said.

"Don't worry, that'll be done with once she actually gets to Hogwarts." Just then, an older Witch came around the corner, followed by an older man, two other boys-one about my age, the other older-and a girl who looked younger than me.

"Fred, George, there you are! We've been looking all over for you!" She then noticed me.

"Oh, have you two made a new friend? Hello, dear, it's nice to meet you! You must be a first year."

"Nice to meet you too, and yeah, I am a First Year." George grabbed hold of the younger boy's shirt and pulled him forward.

"Ow! Geroff me!" The boy said. He had hair just like the rest of the group: bright orange.

"This here is ickle Ronniekins! He's just starting his First Year at Hogwarts too!"

"Get off me!" He yelled and jerked out of his grasp. The two boys were sniggering.

"Be nice to your brother, boys." She said it as if this was a common phrase for her. The boy shook his head, then turned to me.

"Hello, I'm Ron."

"Ember." I said.

"Ember, dear, we need to go buy your owl!" My grandmother said and started walking off.

"I guess I've got to go. It was nice meeting you!" I said as I ran off.

We walked over to Eeylops Owl Emporium, which was filled with, well, owls. All sorts: Barn, Snowy, Great Horned… They had everything! My eye was immediately caught by a medium sized Barn Owl, with larger than normal eyes. It had black and brown feathers, and its wings looked like they weren't big enough to carry it anywhere, especially if you added the weight of a letter or package. Nonetheless, I knew that this was the owl for me. I pointed him out to Grandpa, and he looked asked the price.

"Oh that one is 2 Galleons, 8 Sickles, and 5 Knuts." Grandpa turned to me.

"That's rather cheap. Are you sure you wouldn't like a better one, like that Snowy Owl over there? He looks very strong."

"No, I want this one."

"Alright, if you're sure…" He trailed off. "Pick a better cage for him, then. We've certainly got enough left." I looked around at the cages hanging from the ceiling. It didn't take long to find the perfect one for him. It was a black, metal cage, large enough to hold 3 of him, but not too big that it would look bulky when I carried it. Grandpa asked the price, which was more expensive than the bird himself: 3 Galleons, 16 Sickles, and 15 Knuts. He handed over the money for both the owl and cage, and I walked out with my new pet. Since we had everything needed now, we were walking towards the closest grate to go home. We reached the grate, grabbed some Floo Powder from Grandma's purse, and went home. I brought my new owl up to my room. By then I had come up with a name.

"Welcome home, Rain."


End file.
